Senior marketing strategy on a monthly retainer
A lighter-touch alternative to a full Fractional CMO engagement: a regular strategy call, async support between calls and a monthly review — for a predictable monthly fee, with no long lock-in. Apply once, and I'll send a tailored proposal and a manual invoice.
Senior ownership, days not headcount
- Leadership
- Delivery
- Reporting
What is a Growth Advisory Retainer?
A Growth Advisory Retainer is a monthly subscription to senior marketing judgement: scheduled strategy calls, asynchronous review of plans and campaigns, and quarterly priority setting. A Growth Advisory Retainer suits businesses that already have people executing marketing but need an experienced strategic lead to keep the direction and the numbers honest.
You want senior judgement, not a six-figure hire
Most SMEs sit between two options: muddle through without senior marketing direction, or commit to a full-time Marketing Director at £70,000–£100,000 plus the cost of employment. The Growth Advisory Retainer fills the gap in between.
You get the decisions that matter — what to prioritise, where the budget should go, what to stop — on a rhythm that suits your business, without owning a full-time role or a costly agency retainer. It is the most accessible way to put a Chartered Marketer in your corner.
What's in the retainer
Every tier is advisory — strategy, direction and review — billed monthly in advance with no setup fee.
Regular strategy calls
A scheduled call every month, fortnight or week depending on tier, focused on the highest-leverage decision for that period.
Async support between calls
Email or a dedicated channel for questions, quick reviews and sign-off, so you are never waiting weeks for a steer.
A monthly review
What marketing produced, what to change and where the next pound of budget should go — in plain commercial language.
Playbook library access
The full set of MCG frameworks, audit checklists and planning templates, applied to your situation as needed.
No long lock-in
Month-to-month, invoiced in advance. Change tier with a month's notice or pause for a quiet period.
45 minutes. A clear next step.
Discovery
Diagnosis
Recommendation
Three tiers, all month-to-month
From £500/month. These are starting points — apply and I'll tailor a proposal to your situation, then invoice manually. No automatic charge is ever taken on this site.
Essentials
£500per month
Senior direction you can call on — the cheapest way to put a marketing leader in your corner.
- A 45-minute strategy call each month
- Async email support between calls
- One prioritised review of your activity, budget or landing page
- Playbook library access
Growth
£1,000per month
The rhythm most clients settle into once marketing needs a steady hand, not a one-off opinion.
- A strategy call every two weeks
- Async support between calls
- Monthly reporting review with recommendations
- A quarterly strategy refresh
- Full playbook library access
Scale
£1,500per month
Weekly senior judgement for a business in a growth sprint, a repositioning or a pivot phase.
- A strategy call every week
- A dedicated support channel
- A monthly strategy working session
- Priority booking on discovery and review work
- Full playbook library access
Prices are a starting point, quoted monthly and invoiced in advance. There is no setup fee and no long lock-in — the retainer runs month to month. Apply below and I'll send a tailored proposal and a manual invoice; nothing is charged automatically.
This is right for you if
- You turn over roughly £1m–£10m and want senior direction, but a full-time Marketing Director does not yet add up.
- You have an in-house marketer or an agency that needs a clearer brief and someone senior holding it to account.
- You want a predictable monthly cost rather than open-ended project fees.
- You value independent, Chartered judgement over an agency with media to sell.
- You want the option to scale up to a Fractional CMO engagement when the work justifies it.
How the retainer works in practice
The detail behind the tiers: what the calls cover, how async support works and how progress is judged.
What a strategy call actually covers
Each call is built around the single highest-leverage decision for that period, not a status update. That might be reallocating paid budget after a quarter's data, sharpening a proposition ahead of a campaign, deciding whether a channel deserves more or less spend, or making a hiring call.
You leave with clear next steps, an owner for each one and the reasoning behind the decision written down — so the rest of your team or your agency can act on it without you translating.
Async support between calls
Strategy questions rarely arrive on a schedule. Between calls you have direct access for quick reviews, sign-off and steer — a campaign variant, a landing page, a reporting question, a supplier proposal. The point is that you are not waiting a month between touchpoints for a senior view.
Async is advisory: direction and review, not delivery. If a piece of work needs building, I help you brief the right person for it — in-house, agency or from my network.
The monthly review
Once a month you get an honest read on what marketing produced against target: cost per qualified enquiry by channel, conversion rates and pipeline contribution where the data allows, with a clear recommendation to increase, hold or cut spend.
It is written for a board audience, uses the same definitions every month, and is the thing that keeps the retainer accountable rather than a subscription you forget you are paying for.
Scaling up from the retainer
Many businesses start on a retainer to test the working relationship and move up to a Fractional CMO engagement when the volume of decisions justifies more days a week. The transition is seamless — the strategy, the reporting and the working rhythm carry straight over.
If the opposite turns out to be true and what you need is delivery, not direction, I will say so and help you find the right resource. The retainer is not a trap; it is the most flexible way to start.
Marketing thinking in short form
Strategy, SEO and paid search explained in a couple of minutes on Instagram and TikTok.
Where to go next
A few things worth reading — and the pages most people move to from here.
Related insights
- SME GrowthWhen an SME Should Hire a Fractional CMO Instead of a Marketing DirectorThe revenue, team and complexity signals that decide between part-time and full-time leadership.
- AnalyticsThe Five Marketing Numbers Your Board Actually WantsThe reporting set that turns marketing activity into a commercial conversation.
- AIThe AI Operating Model: What a Small Marketing Team Should Automate FirstWhich marketing tasks to hand to AI, which to keep human, and how to govern the difference.
Related services
- Fractional CMOSenior marketing leadership on a retained, part-time basis.
- Marketing strategyPositioning, audience priorities and a plan your team can execute.
- Marketing consultancyAn independent review of what is working, what is not and what to do next.
Related case studies
- Property servicesCheshire LettingsLocal market leader — owner-led letting agency with landlord-first positioning
- PropTech / SaaSLogical PlanningNew site launch — Planning Potential Score with a paid self-serve funnel
- Consumer / mediaFootyGrounds5M — TikTok post views in 60 days
Frequently asked questions
How is the Growth Advisory Retainer different from a Fractional CMO?
How much does the retainer cost, and how am I billed?
What happens in the monthly strategy call?
Do I still need an agency or in-house marketer?
Can I change tiers or pause the retainer?
Do you work with small businesses and sole traders?
How much is a full website rebuild?
Can I hire you for a one-off project?
Who will actually do the work?
Where do you work?
Not sure which tier fits?
Apply with a few details and I'll recommend the right starting point — or tell you honestly if a different service is a better fit. No automatic payment, no obligation.